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Former NBA star Shaquille O'Neal had the chance to catch Michael Jordan in his prime when he was drafted into the league. Like other stars, O'Neal was in awe of how good Jordan was when he was winning titles with the Chicago Bulls.
O'Neal entered the NBA scene in 1992 when the Orlando Magic selected him with the first pick. While fans hyped him for his dominant play style, many who cheered on him were also cheering on Jordan, who had just won his second title in a row.
Retired player JJ Redick was one of the modern players who didn't get a chance to share the court with Jordan. As a guest on "The Big Podcast with Shaq," Redick was curious to know the six-time champion's aura.
"I don't know what God looks like; it's like seeing God," O'Neal said.
"I went to a couple of NBA games as a youngster, wasn't really impressed. San Antonio, actually. David Robinson impressed me a little bit. But the stuff that he did on TV, and then you see it in real life, you're like, 'Oh, my God, it's really real.'"
Redick asked the question at the 15:03 mark.
Albeit a bit blasphemous, O'Neal's description of Jordan is accurate to how other players back then viewed him. Reggie Miller, a former rival of the Bulls star, has gone on the record to call him "Black Jesus."
Shaquille O'Neal felt starstruck with MJ and a Knicks legend
Shaquille O'Neal didn't waste any time taking over the league when he came out of LSU. However, he acknowledged that he felt starstruck when he first encountered Jordan and New York Knicks legend Patrick Ewing, who was the No. 1 pick in 1985 and had won one NCAA title in three championship game appearances with Georgetown.
O'Neal shared that his father would always encourage him to play hard and physically like the former Knicks star. Then, he started to watch more of how Ewing played and liked it. It was also the reason why he wore No. 33 while he was in LSU as the New York star wore No. 33.
However, his first interaction with Ewing wasn't the best. According to O'Neal, as he reached to shake the star's hand, the star center slapped it away and told him to stop talking, saying, "I’m about to bust your a**."
That encounter quickly changed the demeanor of O'Neal, and he refused to back down against one of his idols.
